Technology Plan

The district technology plan meets the benchmark standards described by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. The goals of the Blueprint for Technology Planning 2009-2014 address the local needs and requirements of the instructional program and administrative management.

Goal 1: Technology and information literacy skills will be integrated into teaching and learning in all curricular areas to provide students with increased opportunities to practice and meaningfully apply these skills in real life situations.

Goal 2: The Infrastructure, hardware, software, and technical support will be sufficient to meet 21st century needs for accessibility and reliability to sustain teaching, learning and administrative environments.

Goal 3: Apply communication tools and practices to create new models of connecting and collaborating so that teaching, learning, management and communications tasks are effective and efficient.

Goal 4: Modern information systems will be in place and used regularly to efficiently manage school and district operations that support teaching and learning.

The digital decade in the Needham Public Schools, 1997-2007, was informed by three technology plans that guided decisions about teaching and learning, professional development, instructional setting design, infrastructure, budget, staffing and information systems. During this period, the school district made considerable progress; redesigning classrooms to provide equitable access to local and global curriculum resources; retooling instructional settings with new productivity, communications and multimedia tools for students and teachers; and providing access to student information for teachers, students and parents. School administrators have also developed new ways of communicating and using information systems to manage and analyze data. All of this is supported by a growing infrastructure of hardware, software, professionals and support staff. See previous technology plans, 2002-2004and 2005-2008.